SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.

About this guide

Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, with about 308,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Pittsburgh offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Pittsburgh, every one opened and checked.

In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.

City or county record: where Pittsburgh records are kept

Pittsburgh City Clerk: council records and ordinances

The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh City Hall: departments, licenses and permits

Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.

Public records requests to Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania public records law applies to the city government of Pittsburgh. The city runs one records request page for its departments; it is the page below, verified by SearchSystems. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.

A record the request page does not cover is asked for from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records and the department that issued a permit or license for its records.

Other cities and towns in Allegheny County

SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Allegheny County. The Allegheny County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Pittsburgh website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Pittsburgh offices listed above, and the city's own website is pittsburghpa.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

Where do I find Pittsburgh city council minutes and ordinances?

From the City Clerk at pittsburghpa.gov, phone 412-255-0873. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.

Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh cases are heard by the courts that serve Allegheny County, and people arrested in Pittsburgh are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Allegheny County public records guide on SearchSystems.

How do I request a public record from Pittsburgh?

Through the city's records request page at pittsburghpa.gov, phone 412-255-2600. A record it does not cover is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records and the department that issued a permit or license for its records.